Where There's a Will
by Texan Red Rose
Summary: A collection of one shots, prompts, and whatever else comes to me that doesn't get a proper story. [Bee's Schnee]
1. Everything's going to be fine

**Disclaimer:** Own. Nada. Prompt: "everything's going to be fine" + bee's schnee

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Yang couldn't help smiling as she pulled out aluminum foil, casserole dishes, a spatula, and tongs, eyeing each one in turn before setting it on the counter beside all the spices she'd already collected. It was nice having a much more spacious kitchen than her old, cramped, one bedroom apartment down by the docks, but it wouldn't benefit her much after she finished the prep. Today was definitely a grilling day, when she used their patio to prepare nearly the whole meal, save for a few of the side dishes. It was nice being able to bar-b-que again without getting a nasty-gram from her apartment complex about fire hazards, honestly, and the kitchen was great whenever she used it. Still, she focused on being mindful of her spacing as she went about her prep, pulling out the right cookware for the job and making a mental note to clean up after herself as she went; even if she wasn't the one doing the dishes tonight, she _certainly_ wouldn't want to overburden her girlfriends. Especially since one of them looked like she was on the verge of succumbing to a full blown whirlwind of anxiety at any second, and had been that way for about three hours already.

"Everything's going to be fine," the blonde said, turning towards the refrigerator to avoid the death glare currently boring a hole through her back. "Seriously, babe, you're stressing yourself out! Nothing's going to happen-"

"Yang Xiao Long, you are either the most ridiculously optimistic oaf I've ever met or intentionally trying to get me to let my guard down and, either way, it's _not_ what I need to deal with on top of everything else," the heiress snapped, coming to a halt on the other side of the wide, indoor window that made conversation between the kitchen and living room much easier. Honestly, a big selling point on the place was being able to cook and watch television at the same time, something the taller woman relished on game days. "This is going to be awful and you full well know it."

Blake was sitting on the couch, idly proof reading her latest draft while one ear was cocked towards the argument, a faint hint of amusement tugging at her lips. She'd tried her hand at calming the woman down earlier to much the same reaction, so it was her turn to sit back and see if another go would do the trick or if more drastic measures were necessary.

"Come on, it _can't_ be worse than last year!" Yang chuckled, keeping the time in the back of her mind as she gauged where to start.

" _Why_ would you jinx us like that?"

"Ha! Don't tell me you're superstitious, Princess," she said, throwing a winning smile through the opening. "You've already crossed a black cat's path a couple times!"

"And invoked my ancient curse." The Faunus offered dryly, red ink spilling from her pen as she marked in a correction. "Non holiday related family gatherings once a year, for as long as the three of us shall live. Oh, woe is you."

It was becoming something of a tradition, though the suggestion that it might continue in that vein was highly contested by Weiss at every turn. While the shorter woman was perfectly fine interacting with her uptight relatives occasionally, and had no qualms about the blonde's rather eccentric family or Blake's adoptive parents, putting the three groups together to watch a very specific football game somehow equated to a disaster in progress to the heiress. To be fair, Yang's entire family were born and bred fanatics for one side, and the Schnees literally owned the other, so there was _some_ basis for concern.

Plus, there was… precedent.

"Last year, Winter threw your Uncle _through a window_ , Yang." Weiss pointed at the newly replace pane for emphasis and, yeah, _that_ didn't go over so well. "Granted, she was entirely justified-"

"Princess," the blonde said, a slight warning in her tone.

Her girlfriend crossed her arms over her chest. "Okay, she was _mostly_ justified."

"I'm actually with Weiss on this one." Her other girlfriend chimed in, pausing in her editing to look at Yang over the back of the couch. "Qrow _did_ start it."

"Well, yeah, but that was only because he was drunk." The dual stares she received had Yang turning back to her task, grabbing one of the few knives her paranoid girlfriend hadn't locked in their safe to start chopping up the veggies. Some of them would be sautéed for toppings, some roasted on the side, and others skewered for kabobs. She liked to think she prepared a decently diverse menu for the evening, considering the guests they'd be entertaining. Seeing the strict, elder Schnee sister eating ribs was going to be a blast, if she actually dared to try them. Winter had given the burgers she'd cooked last year a shot, though, so there was hope yet, and an unending stream of remarks on how 'barbaric' it was, probably. "Anyway, that's not the first time he's been chucked through glass and it probably won't be the last, with the way he carries on sometimes. But I talked to him this year and he's been stone cold sober for six months. That counts for something, right?"

"Plus, Ruby will be here- he usually at least _tries_ to behave around her." Blake pointed out, pen returning to softly scratch against the paper in her hands. "And you said you talked to Winter, so Yang's right. Everything's going to be fine."

For a few moments, the house quieted until only the sounds of the Faunus' writing and Yang's chopping could be heard. The blonde was counting the seconds mentally, certain that it was only a matter of time before Weiss would go back to fretting over every little thing, as per her usual. But when nearly three minutes elapsed without so much as a peep from her, Yang turned her attention back to the living room. Instantly, her smile dropped, lilac eyes landing on the quiet heiress as she stood, stock still, with her gaze downcast.

"Weiss?" Setting aside the knife, she turned to start walking around the wall separating the two rooms when she heard the stilted, broken inhale that was a telltale indication that there was something _much_ deeper running through the woman's head. Putting aside the idea of taking any longer than necessary, the blonde vaulted over the counter and through the window, thankful she maintained such a vigorous workout routine to make such a motion fluid, and landed heavily on the other side.

Blake, having looked up at the concern she could hear in her girlfriend's tone, shot off the couch and wrapped her arms around the heiress, nearly sending them tumbling to the ground in her haste to reach the distressed woman. The blonde was there a moment later, steadying both of them as she pulled her girlfriends into her chest. Even if she'd become far more relaxed in displaying her emotions since the triad started dating, which was made evident once they started living together, there was always a point where Weiss would draw a line, burying things as deep as she could reach. Stopping her from retreating into herself was a battle the two remaining members of the triad were forced to fight with great care, but they somehow managed it, now that they knew a few tricks.

"Princess, it's okay." The Faunus' voice was just a murmur, holding Weiss with arms around her waist in an embrace that was gentle enough to comfort while allowing her the option to pull away if she so desired. It was rare but, sometimes, the woman didn't _want_ to be comforted, and those times were the hardest for her girlfriends to take, but if the infinitesimal amount she moved towards Blake was any indication, this thankfully wasn't one of those times. "We're here."

"What's got ya down?" Yang lowered her voice too, sneaking in a quick kiss to the shorter woman's temple as she rubbed her arm gently, her own arm slung around shoulders wracked with tension. "You can tell us."

They were quiet, standing together in the middle of their living room, two waiting patiently as the third tried, and failed, to voice whatever had managed to shake her so thoroughly. The blonde had a hunch it had something to do with her family- although Winter was a loving, if a bit cold, older sister, the remainder often sparked mixed emotions in Weiss- but she wouldn't broach the topic herself, not unless it became obvious that a nudge was needed, and something in the way the Faunus' ears were canted indicated she wasn't alone in that suspicion. Finally, the mental block that was always erected out of habit seemed to break, allowing the heiress to speak up.

"My father's coming." Her voice was barely above a whisper, almost too soft to hear, but both of her girlfriends couldn't help but jolt from the shock.

The three of them had officially started their relationship four years ago. A little over two, they'd moved in together, and while things hadn't always been perfect, things were relatively great. However, introducing lovers to family was a nerve wracking trial for so-called 'conventional' relationships as it was, so it of course provided some interesting obstacles in theirs. Yang's treated the process with the same perpetual optimism that they did with everything else, even if she had grown a bit weary of all the 'like father, like daughter' jokes from pretty much everyone, her Uncle especially. Blake's parents were a little confused but pleasant regardless, though there was sometimes a slightly inappropriate but well intended question from them that the blonde was forever forbidden from answering after the last time. Although she thought it was a harsh restriction, she did have to acknowledge that it had taken at least three months before it could be brought up without her worrying her girlfriends would faint from the blood rushing to fill their cheeks.

Weiss was, as usual, different. Aside from her sister, the rest of the Schnees hadn't made appearances at the triad's home- not for holidays, not for birthdays outside of a brief phone call, and certainly not for any other event in their busy lives. Although the heiress attended to whatever parties or social gatherings demanded the entire family be present, she showed up as late as could be deemed socially acceptable and left as early as possible, returning home and spending the rest of the night alternating between apologies for going unescorted and assurances that it was better that way. Personally, Yang watched enough of the sports news networks to know who Jacques Schnee was and he had a fairly distinctive look, but not having met him didn't bother her. It was bound to happen eventually, of course, but she could bide her time until then.

Now, though, she had to acknowledge the elephant in the room.

"He… _does_ know that most of us are rooting _against_ his team, right?" She couldn't help but wince. Ever since she was a little girl, the blonde had rooted for the local team, and while neither of her girlfriends cared much for sports- Blake out of apathy and Weiss out of a cold detachment for it, being the family business and all- she was something of an obnoxious fan when they were winning. Part of what made tensions so high during this newly annual tradition was the fact that the Schnees in attendance were definitely outnumbered and Winter had a tendency to take it personally when the team that her family owned lost against that of the Xiao Long-Branwen-Rose clan.

Yang was _trying_ to get better, of course, for everyone's sake, but sometimes it was _just_ too easy to overdo her celebrations, something the heiress had adopted as a way of turning the tables on her girlfriend. It was aggravating the first time but, eventually, she came to recognize and appreciate the distinction between when she was being animated for the sake of annoyance and when she was genuinely celebrating a good play.

"I haven't told him yet," Weiss said, ducking her head a little more. "There's a chance Winter did, though, seeing as _she_ is the one who invited him."

"Hoo boy." The blonde blinked, suddenly distracted. "I hope I got enough food."

"In a few hours, you two are going to meet my _father_ , the very owner of the team you absolutely _despise_ , and we are then going to watch a contest between the two to see who will win, and the _last_ time this happened, my sister threw your Uncle through a window, which was _an improvement_ over the year before." The heiress quickly surmised, looking up enough to the exasperation and anxiety to be easily seen shining in her eyes. "How can you _possibly_ think of food at a time like this?"

"Because she's right," Blake replied, a small smile on her lips as she nodded towards the blonde. "Everything's going to be fine, Princess. If things start to boil over, we'll put a stop to it."

"That's what you said _last_ year." She paused. "And the one before that, if I recall."

"Well, third time's the charm, right?" Yang grinned, sneaking in another kiss to her girlfriend's cheek.

The Faunus opted to take things a step further, coaxing Weiss into a proper kiss that went on nearly to the point of obscenity, the heiress' arms reaching up to pull their girlfriend's body firmer against hers. When they broke apart- breathless and with a touch of pink to their cheeks- Weiss immediately turned her head, allowing Yang to have her turn. Really, any other occasion and she'd at least suggest they relocate to the bedroom for a bit of physical reassurance, but she _really_ needed to get started on cooking.

Once the second kiss ended, the heiress took a moment to just bask in her girlfriends' warmth, voicing no protest when Blake guided her head to rest between the blonde's chest and against her own shoulder, bare thanks to the black tank top. Yang rested her chin atop snow white locks and just smiled, pulling them both a little firmer against her.

"No matter what happens today, we'll still be together. Even after your boys get crushed for the third year in a row."

Despite the pinch to her side she received for that joke, the blonde couldn't help but laugh as she flinched away, weathering yet another lecture about 'ruining the moment' while their girlfriend tried and failed to suppress her smile.

* * *

 _Six Hours Later_

Yang took a deep breath in and slowly released it. "Well… we said we were going to tear down the gazebo anyway."

" _Tear_ it down, Yang." The heiress grounded out through tightly clenched teeth and a tense jaw. "Not _burn_ it down."

Lilac eyes traced the embers floating on the wind for a moment before she looked over at the perpetrators. Qrow was glumly glaring at her father, who seemed equally unhappy with the other man, while Winter sat just over arm's length away from her brother, Whitley, who was somehow also invited along. While the former Schnee looked absolutely _pissed_ \- and perhaps a _touch_ remorseful- the latter was fighting to keep a grin from appearing, the two being carefully watched by Blake's parents to prevent any further incidents. Their father was a bit busy looking at the fire, his expression as impenetrable as he always appeared during interviews.

Okay, so maybe things didn't go as well as the triad had hoped.

There _was_ enough food, though, despite the extra guests, so that was good, and they probably wouldn't have leftovers if the firefighters were hungry.

"The fire department is on the way, but it's going to take a while," Blake said, returning from placing the call and coming to stand beside the furious heiress. "Traffic's pretty bad."

The fire department was on the way, their gazebo was on fire, half of the attendees were very nearly under citizen's arrest, _all_ of them were covered in bar-b-que sauce and other bits of food from the impromptu brawl… and the game hadn't even started yet.

Logically, there was only one thing to do.

Turning on heel, the blonde ducked into the house, stopping by the kitchen and pantry before returning outside, her arms full. Unfortunately, that earned her Weiss' barely restrained ire.

" _Yang_." She set her hands on her hips, glaring at the foodstuffs and skewers.

"Hey, we might as well make the best of it." She shrugged, looking down at the graham crackers, marshmallows, and bars of chocolate she was carrying. "I mean, we can make at least one before the firefighters show up."

"And we did skip dessert." The Faunus pointed out, alleviating Yang of the skewers and marshmallows, opening the bag to they could start the process. It was something of a joke between them- how the golden crackers represented Yang, the chocolate Blake, and the marshmallows Weiss, and together they were _delicious_ \- but making s'mores _was_ their go-to pick-me-up when things were really tough. "It's better than just standing here being angry. The game doesn't start for another half hour."

"You're both impossible." Although she acted like it was the very last thing she wanted to entertain doing at the moment, Weiss accepted the skewer handed to her by the Faunus, huffing out a muttered thanks. A bump to her shoulder brought the flicker of a smile, blue meeting amber for a moment before she approached the fire to start roasting.

Yang set down the crackers and chocolate for the moment on the table she'd used to hold her cooking utensils earlier, accepting a skewer for herself when she returned.

For a moment they just watched their girlfriend, pale skin given a warm glow by the fire.

"She's going to blame herself for this, you know." Blake muttered, fixing her own marshmallow at the end of her stick. "Or demand we hire a security team next year."

"We'll talk her out of it. Both things," she replied, giving her girlfriend a lopsided smile. "But the security team might not be such a bad idea."

With a fond roll of her eyes, the Faunus made to approach the fire but stopped short when she noticed the Schnee patriarch looking at her. Yang watched them both, noting the faint quiver in Blake's feline ears before she offered up a skewer wordlessly to the man.

He accepted it, turning the stick over before raising his gaze to look between them.

Taking a gamble, the blonde decided to break the silence. "Ever made a s'more before?"

"No… but I'm familiar with the concept." His lips twitched, pulling a marshmallow from the bag himself before continuing. "My people are conducting some marketing research into taking full advantage of rivalry games. We're also looking at catching the attention of non-sports fans with our apparel line and we were considering hiring a guest columnist for the organization's magazine. I think the… rather unique input the two of you have might be of some value to them." Turning towards the fire, he spoke over his shoulder, apparently not anticipating a response. "I'll forward the details to Weiss."

Slowly, the two turned their heads and looked at each other, both shocked by their girlfriend's father's attitude. He'd remained rather quiet the whole night through an apparent sheer force of will, only barking out orders for his children to stop bickering once it was too late to stop it.

And, sure, it wasn't a 'yes, I accept both of you dating my daughter' but it wasn't a 'get out of her life immediately' either which, for their first meeting with Mr. Schnee that involved sirens in the distance, was probably a good sign. They were already warned multiple times that endearing oneself to the man wasn't easy by any stretch of the imagination, but they must've done _something_ right.

With a full blown smile on her face, Yang hurried over to stand beside the heiress, their girlfriend joining them a moment later after the skewers were handed out- and solemn promises were made by Qrow, Winter, and Whitley to use them for roasting marshmallows _only_ \- and everyone gathered around the poor gazebo.

Gently, she nudged Weiss' shoulder with her own, lowering her voice as she leaned in close.

"See? Told you. Everything's fine."

Blue eyes shot to her, but it was obviously taking effort for the heiress to pretend she was still upset. "I blame both of you for talking me into allowing this catastrophe… but I _suppose_ it could've been worse."

Blake leaned around the blonde to flash a teasing smirk. "Don't worry; there's always next year."

"You're both incorrigible." Weiss huffed. "But I love you both anyway."

"Heh, love you too, Princess."

* * *

A/N: I'll be honest; this was not the first thing I wrote for this prompt. The other thing was… not as lighthearted as I tried to make this and I didn't think that would be welcomed, all things considered. Writing is my coping mechanism. Originally posted to Tumblr. Also, expect this to be a collection of one-shots, scenes that come to me, and/or prompts that I don't feel like posting as their own separate thing.


	2. Odd One Out

**Disclaimer:** Bee's Schnee kids ahead.

* * *

She was the smallest; that much was obvious. Smaller and younger than her sisters, which would likely never change, but she was okay with that. One day, she wouldn't have to crane her neck to look up at them or her parents, she would be able to reach the cookies without requesting assistance, and she would be able to go places on a whim the way they could. That would come in time.

However, she would always feel like the one that didn't fit in their non-traditional family, as if she was an outsider among outsiders.

Never did the sensation strike her as deeply as when she accidentally looked up and saw the family portrait hanging just above the staircase in their spacious home, the gilded picture frame calling attention to the artist's rendering as much as the lights shining directly on it. Mother was extremely proud of how it turned out, never failing to mention it to whoever came to visit, and the attitude was infectious among her parents. Mommy wasn't as bad about it, but even she would make a comment whenever she led guests up to the second floor. Momma, on the other hand, could be just as bad as Mother, always bragging about her 'awesome kids' to whoever would listen. Her sisters acknowledged it when they had to, which wasn't very often, and secretly Bao was grateful for that, because she couldn't bear to look at it for too long.

This morning when heading up to her room after combat practice, however, she'd looked up at exactly the wrong time and became rooted to the spot by the feeling coiling in the pit of her stomach as she gazed up at the picture. Her teeth worried her bottom lip as her grey eyes traced over the familiar brush strokes, as if she hoped something had changed.

Nothing had, of course, but she always checked, born out of a compulsion she couldn't explain to maybe one day see something that made her feel like she truly belonged there among her relatives. The picture never listened to her will, though, and remained as it always had.

Two of her parents stood, one at Mother's left shoulder while the other mirrored the position on the right. Momma took the left, a confident smile on her lips as lilac eyes blazed despite the still frame, bountiful blonde locks cascading over her shoulders. Even when rendered in paint, she was just as loud and brash as in person, wearing one of the few pantsuits she owned at the behest of Mother, the sharp angles of the yellow suit failing to hide her muscular frame and soft curves. Opposite her, Mommy stood in her pinstripe black suit, her own raven hair settled on her shoulders like a well defined shadow, amber eyes catching the light just right. Her smile was softer, though no less happy, and her unbound ears stood proud atop her head.

Bao flicked her own as she looked at them, frowning ever so slightly as she pushed a few strands of blonde hair behind her ear. Although Faunus traits weren't strictly hereditary, she'd noticed a few years ago that her ears lacked the more defined points of her Mommy and sister, the edge rounded instead.

Between them sat Mother, back straight and shoulders square, carrying herself just as she did in person no matter what she was doing. Her blue eyes were warm, however, a contrast to some of the pictures she'd seen of Mother when she was younger, and the small smile she wore was hardly out of place now as it might've been once. Though she'd taken to wearing her white hair down, the strands flowing over her shoulders like white rivers, she still wore a hair clip based off the Schnee symbol to keep her bangs out of her eyes. Like clockwork, Aunt Winter would always remark how the woman depicted in the family portrait looked nothing like the girl who'd grown up all alone, commending Mother on her life choices- even the ones she disagreed with at the time. It was apparently something of a joke that Bao was assured she would understand once she was older.

At her elbows stood Bao's elder sisters- the twins, Zise and Noire. Somehow persuaded to wear their nicest dresses, they stood in front of Mommy and Momma, respectively, with a hand on their shoulder as if they were supposed to be there. It was obvious to see how Zise's wide grin was almost a direct reflection of Momma's, how her hair was just as unruly despite being as pale as Mother's, and her blue eyes danced like blue fire. Noire, on the other hand, took after Mommy, her expression more reserved, her white ears set slightly to the sides in a show of relaxed awareness, her own eyes a slightly deeper shade of blue than Zise's, like one was the shallow end of a pool and the other the deep end. Sometimes, Bao swore that their eyes reflected their ability to look at things, one sister always rushing head first into every situation while the other preferred to sit back and observe before acting.

Unless they were both in a playful mood, of course; then, all bets were off, and the twins would soon be the bane of whoever they decided to play their tricks on this time. Thankfully, she wasn't often on the receiving end of their more serious pranks, though she'd never quite trust them to bring her food or drink without Noire being in close proximity again. Mommy was not happy when she found out Zise had slipped catnip into her water that one time.

Finally, in Mother's lap was her, but a few years younger. She didn't remember posing for the picture, honestly, but there she sat, smiling just as wide as Momma and Zise, her ears flicked forward in interest. A splash of color surrounded by white- her yellow sundress with the grey sash made her seem so loud, standing out without even trying to, making her look so… different. Zise and Noire were wearing their matching dresses of white with blue sequins across the waist, the former with a chrysanthemum pinned over her left breast while the latter had a white anemone over her right, something Zise had insisted upon, apparently. She'd even taken the liberty of pinning an orchid on Bao's dress, though she couldn't recall whether or not that was done with permission.

Bao felt her ears begin to droop the longer she stared at the picture, wishing there was something she could do to change it. Something- anything- but it was futile.

She'd always feel like the odd one out.

"Ya know that's been hangin' there for, like, three years, right?" She was startled out of her thoughts by a voice sounding much too close to her ears.

When she tried to lean away, however, its nigh constant counterpart spoke up from the other side. "It'll still be there after you change, too."

"Yeah, I know." She must've lost track of time; her sisters continued their combat training for another half hour after Bao was released by Mother. Usually, she didn't linger long enough to get caught staring at the painting. "I just… was thinking."

"About what?" Zise straightened up and walked around her, peering up at the painting with her head tilted to the side. Her hair was faintly smoking, a sign she'd gotten mad again and tried to use brute force to complete whatever combat test their Mother had devised this time. Given that her usual outfit of shorts and a simple T-shirt were more or less unharmed, she probably hadn't gotten very far before being lectured. "This old thing?"

"I don't think it qualifies as 'old' yet," Noire said, crossing her arms over her chest as she stood beside Bao, the leather of her jacket creaking slightly. "Maybe in another couple of years-"

"It already doesn't look like us, though. I'm way taller than that!" Zise laughed, pointing at her own visage. "I at least come to Momma's chin now."

"No, _I_ come to Momma's chin." Her twin flicked her ears for emphasis, lips curling into a teasing smirk. "You're still a few inches short."

Rolling her eyes, the louder of the duo refocused on their younger sibling, raising a brow. "So, you gonna spill the beans, squirt?"

"It's silly," she replied, lowering her gaze to the ground, focusing for a moment on the shine of her shoes. Although Momma and Mommy thought it was ridiculous, Mother was willing to let her go to her combat lessons wearing modest heels, seeing as the higher ones still threw her balance off a bit. She was getting better, though. "You'll both laugh."

There was a moment of silence before the twins replied.

"I won't laugh, Bao."

"Not gonna lie, I might."

"Because you're a jerk."

"Hey, you're just as much a jerk as I am!"

"Only on Tuesdays."

Once again leaving the verbal battle well enough alone- much to everyone's delight, Zise's stubbornness didn't extend to her ability to argue, which left the majority of explaining their shenanigans up to Noire. Something told their little sister that this was more a pragmatic choice than an unwitting one, but she never commented on it for fear of ruining their system. The last time they'd gotten caught sneaking cookies before bed, Noire had managed to get the duo off with a light punishment while Bao was allowed to enjoy her share of the spoils in peace- the louder of the twins refocused on the topic at hand. "Anyway, we're gonna listen, so just talk."

"Well…" She trailed off, losing her nerve for a moment. When she looked up, hoping that seeing the picture again would give her the courage, she was instead met by her sisters' concerned gazes. They showed it in different ways, of course; neither hid their emotions, ever, but their tells were unique. Zise had just the slightest pinch between her brows, her smile just a little shy of her usual cheer, her eyes intent and focused. Noire, on the other hand, had her lips pressed into a line, ears flicked forward to catch whatever she said, and her head was angled down slightly, a subtle show that the conversation was in Bao's hands. If she chose to simply drop the topic, Noire would respect that, though it'd make her worry just as much as Zise, who wouldn't hesitate to loudly mention how they were not done talking about it. She might as well bite the proverbial bullet. "Sometimes I feel like… like I don't belong." Confusion splashed across their expressions, the twins exchanging a look before prompting her to continue. "When I look at the picture, I mean… both of you look alike, and you both look like Mother, but I… don't."

"That's because-"

"Zise." Noire quickly hissed, ears laying back in agitation. "Think it through."

"I'm not saying anything she doesn't know. We _all_ know." She gestured up to the portrait. "Bao doesn't look like Mother because she's not related to her."

That was true, and something she'd told herself many times before. It was logical, of course, that three people couldn't be blood parents to a single child. Technically, all three of them were half sisters, only sharing a single parent in common, and Bao was well aware of that. She didn't understand how- and Momma got in a lot of trouble with Mommy and Mother when she tried to explain it that one time- but she _did_ understand it.

"It still makes me feel weird," she said, ducking her head slightly, only to be stopped by a hand on her shoulder.

"Is that really what's on your mind? That we don't _look_ related?" Noire tilted her head slightly in curiosity.

"Well… it's more that… I don't understand why they gave my Mother's last name when I _can't_ be a Schnee." She admitted, glancing over her shoulder at the three segmented staff still attached to her back. "I'm not related to Mother, so I can't summon glyphs like you two can and I don't look like her. How can I be a Schnee when I'm… not? When I never will be?"

"Oh," the twins said in tandem, exchanging a look briefly before Zise sighed. "That's what this is about, huh?"

"I told you it was silly." Bao grumbled, not looking forward to the teasing she was sure awaited her in the near future.

Much to her surprise, her sister instead put a hand on her shoulder, a much smaller smile on her lips. "Bao, it's not silly. We all feel like that, just about different stuff. I mean, Idon't have a neat set of cat ears on my head, right? I'm just a plain ol' Human and you two are Faunus!"

"And my eyes don't change color when I get angry or hurt." Noire shrugged. "I'll always have the same blue eyes no matter what."

"But… you know what bugs _us_?" Zise's expression turned serious, a rare enough occurrence to warrant Bao's full attention. "We're not like you. You're Bao Schnee, and even though you don't carry any of Mother's blood in you, you still get to have her name. We don't."

"Even if there's no doubt we're related to Mother, and no question that I'm related to Mommy, no one really thinks about me being Momma's daughter, too." Noire explained, a frown touching her lips. "I'm Noire Belladonna. I don't look like Momma, I don't have a Semblance like hers, and I don't get to have her name either."

"And I'm Zise Xiao Long, and I'm in the same boat. I'm not a Faunus, I don't have cat ears, and I don't get Mommy's name either." For the first time in a long while, the twins looked sad, their gazes fixed on the portrait. "So, yeah, we get it, and we've talked about it before, too."

"And we know why Mother didn't want us to take her name," Noire said, wincing. "You don't remember him, but Grandfather was… not a pleasant person."

"He was nothing like Grandpa Tai." Her twin shuddered. "For a long time, Mother was convinced that her last name was a curse, and Grandfather was a big reason for that."

"They won't tell us the whole story 'until we're older'." That phrase was becoming rather annoying, if the looks all three of them shared were anything to go by. "But we do know that Mother didn't want to give us her name at all, even in a hyphenated form, to protect us from that. By the time you were born, though, Mother wasn't as worried about it, but she still didn't want that for you. Mommy and Momma are the ones who wanted you to be a Schnee."

Bao couldn't help but blink in confusion; she'd never been told this by anyone. "What? Why? How do you two know that? How _long_ have you two known that?"

Suddenly, her sisters looked guilty, neither willing to answer as one scuffed her boots against the carpet and the other fought valiantly to keep her ears from pinning back.

"Look, squirt, just… cut us some slack, okay?"

"Things were… different when we were your age."

"We…" Zise sighed. "Well, I mean, I'm not even the same race as Mommy. When I was younger, sometimes… sometimes I wondered if she really thought of me as her daughter."

"I thought the same in regards to Momma." Noire quickly continued, panic showing clear on her face. "They never made us feel like that! We're twins, after all; they always treated us like we were both their daughters, despite our true parentage. They never hid it from us, but Momma never treated me any differently than Zise."

"And Mommy treated me the same as Noire. But…" She shrugged. "You know… sometimes, we think silly things, right?" Bao felt her ears twitch, grey eyes raising to look up at the portrait again. Maybe thinking silly things was something they all shared, regardless of blood. "And, sometimes… those silly thoughts are heard by people who get hurt by them."

A subdued sense of shame settled over her siblings' expressions, a lot like how Momma had grown quiet the one time she asked about the jagged scars on her shoulder. It was the sign of a wound not yet fully healed, still stinging whenever the spot it hit just right. Much like Momma, though, the twins quickly recovered, blinking away unshed tears as they tried to focus on their little sister.

"Momma and Mommy were probably trying to keep you from feeling like we did, so that you could have a bond with Mother, even if it's just a name." Noire paused, clearing her throat gently. "You… you've never thought that Mother doesn't love you as much, right?"

"No, never!" She answered honestly. Despite how she felt, the thoughts weren't born of anything their parents did or said. If anything, Mother doted on her more than her siblings, rarely as stern with her as the other two. She was the baby of the family, Momma's little cub. She quickly looked between her sisters in horror as a thought occurred to her. "She doesn't think that I think that, right?"

The twins exchanged a glance, both looking a little guilty. Zise knelt beside her, putting her on eye level with her little sister. "She… probably does, at least every now and then. Momma and Mommy thought so, too, when we were younger."

"We never meant for them to feel like that. We think it just scares them." Noire crouched down, frowning slightly. "They still have nightmares about the things that happened when we were too small to remember. It's like that- fear of what could happen getting the better of them, sometimes."

"Like when you two used to be scared of the vacuum cleaner." She pointedly ignored how both of her Faunus siblings immediately grumbled a justification for their childhood fears of the appliance. "It doesn't always make sense, but that's how feelings are."

Bao looked up at the portrait, biting her lip gently. "Is there no way to change that?"

Truthfully, it had never occurred to her that her sisters might empathize with how she felt. She'd grown up watching the twins rough house with Momma and read with Mommy, always functioning as two very different sides of a coin. They were rarely apart, and so rarely spent time with their parents one-on-one the way Bao did, but maybe there was a reason for that. Maybe they did it so Mommy and Momma could always think of them as their daughters, together, the same way Mother would always brush Bao's hair before bed, even though she was more than old enough to do it herself by now. Just that little bit to remind them that, blood or not, they were one family, and their parents loved each of them just as much, no matter what.

"I dunno." Zise shrugged, idly scratching at her chin. "I mean, what _could_ we do?"

Grey eyes lifted once more to the family portrait, as if searching her parents' frozen expressions would somehow hold the key. It didn't, of course, because it was just a painting, but she did notice for the first time how Momma looked at least a little uncomfortable with the white undershirt buttoned all the way up to her throat. Momma preferred looser collars and short or no sleeves, giving her free range of motion, often wearing graphic T-shirts and tank tops with a loose jacket thrown over her shoulders, and sometimes a faded orange scarf around her neck. Mommy would sometimes wear a choker made of the same ribbons that were wrapped around her forearms, but tended towards open collar shirts, and Mother only wore something around her neck at formal functions.

"What about necklaces?" The words tumbled from her mouth before she'd given the idea any serious thought, prompting both of her sisters to raise a brow. "I mean, matching necklaces, with their emblem?"

"They already have those on their wedding bands, remember?" Noire offered, an uncertain half smile on her lips.

Bao immediately shook her head. "No, not like that. I mean like if I got Mother and I a snowflake necklace, and you got yourself and Momma a flaming heart one-"

"Oh, and then I could get one for me and Mommy!" Zise's eyes lit up, her usual smile once again overtaking her expression. "And then, when we're old enough, we can get _tattoos_!"

Her twin's ears immediately flattened. "What is _with_ you and tattoos?"

"I think they're cool, and they're permanent, which is also cool in the…" She snapped her fingers, searching for the right phrase a moment before hitting on it. "Context of this discussion! Yeah, that's it."

Noire rolled her eyes but stood up, brushing off her jacket slightly. "You're ridiculous." She quickly shoved her hand in Zise's face, forcing her sister to overbalance and fall backwards while she focused on their little sister. "But I think the necklaces are a good idea. So they always know they're part of us, and we're part of them, too, right?"

Bao nodded, turning towards the next flight of stairs so she could change out of her combat skirt and into something more casual. "Do you think Auntie Ruby will help us make them?"

"Knowing Auntie Ruby, they'll also double as throwing stars or something." Zise muttered, regaining her feet and charging up the stairs after her sisters, both of whom had a fair headstart. "Hey! Wait for me!"

Noire laughed, the trio rushing back to their rooms to brainstorm their idea a bit more, all the while unaware that their conversation was overheard.

* * *

After releasing the girls from their combat practice, Weiss had followed after the twins to remind them that they were supposed to have a late afternoon study session in preparation for their entrance exams to Beacon- a formality, truly, but one they'd all insisted upon regardless. However, upon hearing her elder daughters questioning their sibling, Weiss had waited, leaning against the doorframe just out of sight of the main staircase. Across from her, she could see her lovers coming down the hall, ready to call out about something or other but falling silent as she pressed a finger to her lips. Yang and Blake copied her position, listening intently to their daughters as they talked. Worried glances were exchanged, each of them shuffling slightly as the conversation wore on, and several times Blake had to physically restrain Yang from bursting into the main hall and addressing the issue head on, as she was wont to do. Hearing the genuine regret in her daughters' voices was difficult, especially when they could hardly be faulted for mistakes made so young, but she remained silent until the end, a happy smile on her lips and tears in her eyes.

"I know I might've mentioned this before," Winter said, having at some point left the combat practice room to join her eavesdropping. "But you have truly magnificent daughters, Weiss. You've raised them well."

"I had help," she replied, pushing off from the doorframe and opening her arms as Blake and Yang crossed the distance, the three of them folding into an embrace.

"We're gonna have to act surprised when they give them to us," the blonde said, voice thick with emotion.

"We will." Blake assured, a soft chuckle escaping her lips. "They're our daughters. They'll find a way to surprise us, no matter what."

Weiss smiled, burying her head in her wives' warmth. The Faunus was right and, if history was anything to go by, they would be wonderful surprises indeed.

* * *

A/N: I actually developed the kids for something completely unrelated to this, but I wanted to play with their characterizations a bit.


	3. Why didn't you invite me?

**Disclaimer:** "Why didn't you invite me?", "I thought you'd slap me." There's definitely something with Blake and Weiss in there. Or maybe with Yang in the middle, 'cause let's be honest, she'd (secretly) love to be in the middle." prompt from Alexlayer. Okay, more Bee's Schnee coming up.

* * *

Blake sighed heavily, shouldering her way through the front door. Spending a week away from her apartment wasn't the ideal solution to her problem but, in the end, it was the most pragmatic. Her roommates, while wonderful people- whom she sometimes wanted to throttle for varying reasons- were Humans and not subject to the more annoying parts of Faunus heritage. So, she simply left them with a vague explanation for her absence with a promise to be back after a week jotted down on a piece of paper and taped to the fridge in their kitchen. She cared about both of them and expected to be at least _a little_ interrogated as to her whereabouts but she _really_ had no clue what she was about to walk into.

"There you are!" Amber eyes snapped up as she kicked off her shoes, setting her bag down in the entryway. Two sets of gazes met hers, a pair of lilac eyes shinning with cheer while the ones in blue seemed a tad colder, their owners seated on the couch in their living room while some program aired on the TV. The Faunus couldn't help but take note of her roommates' haggard appearances, as though they hadn't slept well for the past week. Yang- the cheerful blonde she'd known for years- had her unruly mane pulled into a loose, lazy ponytail, and was wearing a loose T-shirt and basketball shorts, rather than her usual form fitting ensembles and gym clothes, while Weiss- their roommate of six months- sat in her white nightgown with her hair falling around her shoulders, which was atypical of the Type A woman, especially given it was well past noon.

The TV was immediately muted as Blake entered the room, offering an apologetic smile. "Yeah, sorry about that. I just… had to take care of some things."

"And you couldn't come to _us_ for help?" Ah, there it was, the lecture she knew was coming. "We're your friends, Blake, and your roommates; what could possibly come up where an explanation was unwarranted?"

"I'm actually with Princess on this one." Yang furrowed her brows, a soft frown touching her lips. "We've been worried about you. You wouldn't answer your scroll, you didn't tell us where you were going- you just packed a bag and left!"

"It's just- it's personal."

"Blakey, you know we're here for you."

"And a _little bit_ of notice is all we ask." The white haired woman sighed, brushing a hand through her fringe. "Honestly, what could _possibly_ be keeping you from just telling us?"

"Now, hold on," Yang said, turning slightly towards the other woman. "If it's her business, she's entitled to be a little… selective on who she tells about it." Her lilac eyes went back to Blake. "But a _little_ bit of detail would be nice. Not just 'hey, gonna be gone for a week' and then disappearing. You didn't even tell us to our faces! For all we knew, someone came and forced you to write out the note, then kidnapped you!"

"Okay, first off, you've been watching too many cop dramas, and secondly… it's just… awkward." The Faunus finished lamely, her ears pinning back as she went to sit on the chair in the living room. "I didn't think you two would worry about me this much."

"Well, we did." Weiss crossed her arms over her chest.

"Hey, mellow out a bit, yeah?" The blonde shrugged. "She's okay, so we're all good, right?" Yang looked back to the Faunus. "You _are_ okay, right?"

"Mostly," she replied, perhaps a bit too honestly if the twin intense gazes she received were anything to go by. "I- I mean-"

"Blake Belladonna, if you don't tell us _right now_ what happened this week, I swear-"

"I went into heat, okay?" She finally relented, burying her face in her hands to hide her blush. Usually, she kept up with her medication, but she'd missed almost a full month thanks to the whole 'Sun nearly getting arrested in Vacuo' debacle some time ago, and it had thrown her body chemistry off _just enough_ to make her susceptible this year. "Things happened and I forgot my meds, so I went away to deal with it. That's it. That's _all_ that happened."

There were a few moments of silence before Yang couldn't seem to contain herself, prompting the Faunus to look up as her friend cleared her throat, a slight frown on her lips. "So… you went and, like, hooked up with someone?"

" _No_ , thank you." She waved off that suggestion. "I just rented a motel room and didn't leave it."

"And _why_ didn't you invite me to go along with you?" Weiss' brows pinched into a slight scowl. "I'm quite certain having company would've made the time a lot more bearable."

"Because I thought you'd slap me- what kind of a question even _is_ that?"

"A perfectly valid one! We're your friends-"

"Oh, so I was just supposed to come in one day and go 'hey, I'm about to go into heat, does anyone want to bang me for a week solid?" She laughed at the ridiculousness of the theoretical question but quickly tapered off as she took note of not just one but _two_ hands raised in the air, her roommates staring each other down as her eyes widened.

"Excuse _you_ but what do you think you're doing?" The white haired woman had her attention focused solely on the person sitting beside her, missing Blake's flabbergasted expression entirely.

"Hey, she's been _my_ best friend for years." The blonde jabbed a finger at Weiss. "What makes _you_ think you stand a better shot than me?"

"Please- between the two of us, I'm far more refined and capable as a potential partner."

"What part of 'heat' screams 'refined' to you, exactly?"

Weiss huffed, setting her hands on her hips. "Look, you might occasionally dally with the fairer sex, but you hardly have the experience-"

Yang belted out a laugh, mirroring the other woman's position in a mocking way, straightening up so it was obvious that, even seated, the blonde was taller. "Experience? Princess, I had to _show_ you what 'scissoring' meant-"

"Having a better knowledge of 'adult' videos does _not_ constitute-"

"Would _both_ of you stop for a moment?" Blake sighed, rubbing at her temple. Typically, the two women would argue just for the sake of arguing- Weiss enjoyed the mental exercise and Yang just liked getting the other woman riled up- but _this_ was officially getting out of hand. "Regardless if you're _both_ very attractive and, well, we're all friends, I would absolutely _not_ consider asking that of either of you out of the blue." She shook her head, slightly surprised they were even having this conversation. "I mean, I would _at least_ expect dinner with my heat partner first."

Both women watched her for a moment, then looked at each other.

"So, heat happens every three months, right?" Yang offered tentatively.

"Not as long as I'm on my medication."

"We should plan for the worst case scenario though, in the event this happens again." Weiss pointed out, straightening out her night gown. "Therefore, we're going out to dinner Monday night, Blake."

Blake blinked. "What?"

She was, of course, ignored.

"Can we move it to Tuesday? I have the late shift on Monday." The blonde's brows furrowed.

"Oh, so now _you_ are coming along as well?" The white haired woman raised a brow, to which Yang smirked.

"Worst case scenario, remember? What if you can't handle her on your own or you're out of town or something?"

Weiss made to reply before she apparently thought better of it, nodding her head. "Fine, fair point. Tuesday night, then. Where?"

"Uh, hold on." She tried to interject but was overridden.

"That sushi place down by the docks!" The blonde smiled, snapping her fingers. "It's her favorite restaurant after all."

"True, but they are pricey." Weiss frowned. "Will you be able to cover half of the bill?" At the other woman's wince, she continued. "That's fine; we'll split it seventy-thirty and you can get me back come payday. Deal?"

Blake sighed. "Do I get a say in this?"

"No."

"Nope!"

They'd replied in tandem, the one in a flat, do-not-argue tone while the other seemed to almost sing the word as they both stood up. Yang leaned down and quickly pecked a kiss to the Faunus' cheek, smiling as brightly as usual.

"Don't worry, Blakey; next time this happens, you can stay right here with us!"

"We'll make sure to take _good_ care of you," Weiss said, placing a kiss on Blake's other cheek before both women left the room, apparently going over a few more details regarding Tuesday night.

Meanwhile, Blake just sat right where she was, trying to process… what just happened.

"Am I… dating my roommates now?"

That... wasn't what she expected to happen upon returning but… well… she wasn't _complaining_ , either.

* * *

Author's Note: I actually had three scenes pop into my head. This is the Blake version for that particular prompt, since she was the first listed, I guess. Hope you got a chuckle.


	4. Weiss is the New Blake

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. This was supposed to be posted on Wednesday but shit got away from me; have some Bee's Schnee ridiculousness, based on a title suggestion from Twin3: Weiss is the new Blake. Slight NSFW warning for the setting. Just a bit more silliness.

* * *

Weiss took a deep, steadying breath and pushed it out slowly, valiantly trying to fight her impulse to bolt for the door. This was ridiculous and how she allowed herself to be talked into this was beyond her comprehension. She must've been drunk or drugged or in some altered state of mind to think this was a good idea much less _agree_ to it for a multitude of reason. Not least of which was grinding on a pole not six feet in front of her.

"Having fun yet?" She nearly jumped, turning her head to scowl at the blonde sitting beside her and ignoring how positively at ease the woman looked sitting on the couch.

It was one thing for Yang, her dubious friend for a number of years, to invite her anywhere; while the blonde enjoyed loud, high energy establishments, Weiss preferred the calm air of a nice restaurant.

It was another thing for Yang to invite _her_ out instead of Blake, the woman's girlfriend since before they'd met.

It was _a whole universe of cans filled with worms_ for Yang to invite her to a _strip club_ on _couple's night_ while she was in disguise to protect her identity.

But, bar none, the most disturbing facet of this evening was that her chosen disguise… was to dress up as the tall, quiet vixen. On the blonde's suggestion, she might add, since Blake _apparently_ refused to attend the establishment and Yang was tired of being teased about her potentially non-existent girlfriend. Which was good, because otherwise, anyone would be able to tell that Weiss was a good three inches too short to pass for Blake, despite the make-up, dark clothes, and black wig adorning her features.

Again, she must've been severely mentally impaired when she agreed to do this. There was no better explanation.

"I hardly see why I would be enjoying myself." She grumbled, trying to sink further into the couch. Which… well, wasn't true _at all_ , seeing as they were effectively surrounded by gorgeous women; there were plenty of reasons she'd be enjoying herself. Except, of course, that one of the most beautiful women Weiss had ever met… was sitting beside her. And she was dressed up as the other one.

How did her life become this? This… absolutely _awful_ mess?

"Aw, loosen up, Blakey!" Yang laughed, knocking back another shot of god-knows-what. "I finally drag you out here and you're not even going to humor me?"

And wasn't that a dagger in the heart. While she acknowledged that it made her a patently horrible person in the back of her mind, Weiss staunchly refused to focus on that. It wasn't _her_ fault that she was attracted to two women who were dating each other… except that maybe it was? It was out of her control at any rate and she'd maintained a respectful distance from both of them because of that.

Until tonight, of course.

"You know this isn't really 'my thing', Yang," she replied, taking a sip of her water. Whatever state of inebriation had brought her into this wonderful mess, she wasn't keen on repeating it.

"Don't be a- oh, _hello_." Lilac eyes gleamed with mischievous intent as one of the many, many beautiful strippers sauntered their way. "Hey, beautiful."

"Hello." The stripper smiled, smoothly sitting in the blonde's lap and throwing a teasing smirk at Weiss. "So, this is the mysterious girlfriend, huh?"

"Yeah." Yang glanced her way and there was _no way_ that what was about to happen could classify as 'good' by any stretch of the imagination. "Hey, about putting on a little show for us?"

The stripper smiled, leaning forward slightly and teasing a kiss that never happened. "Don't mind if I do."

Weiss fought to keep the scowl from her face. Blake might have no issues with her girlfriend going to places like these but Weiss sure as hell did… but seeing as Yang wasn't _her_ girlfriend, she supposed she didn't have a leg to stand on, really.

Damnit.

As a new song kicked on, the stripper began rocking her body to the beat, allowing the blonde to lightly run her hands across every inch of skin exposed by her skimpy lingerie. Weiss gripped her glass harder, using every single ounce of her impressive self control to not physically remove the woman from Yang's lap. It wasn't that she was _jealous_ …

… Okay, yeah, she was fucking jealous.

On the one hand, she wanted to be the one grinding against Yang, allowing her lips to skim the woman's ear, relishing her touch across her body. She couldn't do that as Weiss but she _could_ while pretending to be Blake. No one else would question why the blonde's girlfriend suddenly felt the need to invade her space after such a display, but _Yang_ would know the truth and, thus, the whole thing would be nothing more than an act. A lie.

Damnit, _why_ did she think this was a good idea?

The stripper let out a breathy little gasp and Weiss had half a mind to throttle the woman on pure principle. Wasn't this technically cheating? It sure as hell _felt_ like cheating. Which would make her an accomplice… fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck FUCK!

"Hey, baby, how about a private dance?" The stripper threw a decidedly challenging look at Weiss as the song wound down before fixing an alluring expression as Yang looked up.

"Hmmm, now that sounds like fun." Lilac eyes danced her way, accompanied by a silly grin that she was half tempted to either slap or kiss away. It was a toss up. "What'd'ya say, sweetheart. Can I get a private dance?"

She'd rehearsed this particular answer. Yang had _warned_ her that this would come up. Very explicitly. And she'd prepared, because she was Weiss fucking Schnee and preparation was her primary skill. But when the moment of truth came, she couldn't hold her emotions in check nearly as well as she'd hoped.

"It's fine." She averted her gaze, pretending to be engrossed in the dancer on the stage.

Yang didn't buy it, worriedly sending the stripper off to the next customer while scooting closer to her date for the night. "Are you okay?"

"I'm _fine_ Yang." Weiss took another drink of her water, wishing it was something stronger. "Go have fun."

"Hey, Weiss, seriously, what's up?" Damnit, now the blonde was worried, dropping their act and moving even closer. "Talk to me."

"You want to know what's up?" She unnecessarily slammed her glass on the table before them, moving before her mind could catch up with her actions. She couldn't do this anymore, couldn't stand being teased and taunted with innocent actions. It wasn't Yang's fault nor Blake's but she needed to do _something_ for fear of imploding under the strain of keeping silent. In the blink of an eye, she was straddling the blonde's lap, utterly uninterested in whoever might be watching them at present. "You're driving me insane and it's not your fault, and Blake does too but it's not her fault either, and I can't sit here dressed up as her knowing I'll never _be_ in her position, or yours, no matter how much I want to, and I want to kiss you, and her, and go on date nights, and read a book by the fireplace, and dance, and, yes, I want to _fuck_ you and I want to _fuck_ her, and it doesn't particularly matter to me which order any of those things occur in, quite frankly, because I know it will ever happen, and it's _killing me_."

Thankfully, she'd always been a singer of sorts in her spare time; the extra lung capacity was certainly helpful in getting all that out before her mind came to a screeching halt at what she'd just admitted. Before she had the chance to flee, however, Yang looped her arms around her slim waist, trapping her in the mortification she could feel setting in, blush rising in her cheeks that surely showed through her make-up.

"Wow. Well, glad you got all that out." Yang had that insufferable smile on her lips, the one that promised everything would be okay even when it quite clearly wouldn't. The blonde tilted her head, looking over the back of the couch. "What do you think, Blakey?"

Stunned, Weiss' gaze snapped up, coming face-to-face with the very woman she was currently parading as, amber eyes dancing with mirth as Blake leaned on the back of the couch.

"I think we should probably change venues." She reached out, gently cupping Weiss' cheek and brushing her thumb just under the scar that marred her left eye, hidden by the foundation. "As enticing as those suggestions are, I'd prefer to do them with Weiss and not my own reflection."

Yang snickered, running her hands up and down Weiss' back in soothing motions. "Alright, what'd'ya say, Princess?" She cocked her head to the side. "How about we go have a private dance of our own? Just the three of us?"

She probably looked like a fish right about now, trying to force sound through her throat as her jaw worked of its own accord. Finally, she managed a nod.

She wasn't sure how she got herself into this mess… but she had a feeling she wouldn't want to be getting out of it for a _long_ while.

* * *

A/N: It's a trap (it's always a trap) and I have a low key fascination with strip clubs. I admit this.


	5. Handle With Care

**Disclaimer:** I was asked about a parenting headcanon in the context of a Bee's Schnee relationship. This is the result, featuring a younger version of the Bee's Schnee twins from Odd One Out. (I didn't expect it to get this long or this… heavy.)

* * *

Yang trudged through the door, weary down to her bones and only managing to punch in the alarm's code through muscle memory. Her brain and all thought processes had shut down a while ago. Taking the missions every now and again to thin the remaining Grimm was a necessary byproduct of their lives but, sometimes, it wore on her harder than others. This particular group had consisted of several Alphas, long enough in the tooth for her to have not even a second's respite throughout the grueling battle. The next time the mission alert recommended two Huntresses tackling the task, she wouldn't be so quick to assure her wives that she had it well in hand.

The blonde rolled her neck, trying to work out some of the tension still present while activating the alarm again; riding in an airship's cargo hold as opposed to an actual seat had left her unable to sleep on the long trip back, but it would be worth it in the end. The next regularly scheduled flight didn't leave for another four hours and that was just too long to wait. She missed her lovers and her kids and, considering it would take at least a day to recover from the rigorous mission, she wanted to be at home as soon as possible to begin that process. Weiss and Blake wouldn't mind if she missed the next doctor's appointment, but she'd never forgive herself if she did.

Yang did her best to shut the big, solid oak door softly, kicking off her boots and pushing them to the side. She'd probably get an eyeroll for not putting them up in the little cubby holes off to the side of the entry way but she'd apologize for it. Honestly, she didn't even have the strength for a shower and her thighs protested just the _thought_ of climbing the staircase to get to the bedroom. Not to mention all the racket she'd likely create in the process- it was the middle of the night and her family deserved to sleep.

With a quiet groan, she knelt down by the reinforced steel box beside the doorway, flicking her wrists to put Ember Celica in their expanded forms and popping open the bolt covers so she could reach the fresh belts of ammunition. She would usually do this before even setting foot in the house but her coordination wasn't the best and dropping the blasted things wouldn't do her any good. Clumsily, she pulled the belts free and punched in the code, activating the latch beneath the lid and waiting for the beep before opening the box and depositing the live shells. She flicked her wrists again to collapse the gauntlets, shutting the box and waiting for the locks to engage once more before forcing herself to her feet, expression pinching into one of agony. Yeah, she definitely wasn't getting up those stairs tonight, and her aura had taken too much of a beating for her to risk speeding along her recovery just yet.

With a sigh, she lumbered over to the doorway leading into the living room, bleary lilac eyes falling on the couch. It wasn't the most comfortable or preferable, but it would do in a pinch, and she _really_ didn't have the strength to crawl into bed with her wives right then. The blonde didn't even bother easing herself down, effectively faceplanting onto the furniture and releasing a quiet groan of relief. Tomorrow, she'd make it up to Blake and Weiss, she swore, but tonight she just wanted to get what sleep she could before sitting down to breakfast in the morning.

The _only_ thing she managed to do before drifting into a deep sleep was turn so her artificial limb was on the inside of the couch, preventing her from a rude awakening if the weight of it happened to pull her off in the middle of the night. She should probably disconnect it, but the stand for the blasted thing sat on the triad's dresser and she'd already made her decision on that front.

At least she'd wake up in a few hours to see her family; that alone would be worth taking the earliest possible flight back.

* * *

Blake sighed fondly, leaning against the doorway into their living room with a smile on her lips. She'd awoken sometime last night, thinking she'd heard the front door, but had gone back to sleep convinced it was her imagination. Apparently, she was very wrong, seeing as one of her wives was currently passed out on the couch, somehow sprawled across the thing despite how uncomfortable it looked, having one leg thrown up and over the back of the couch like that. Judging from the slightly awkward angle of her right shoulder, the Faunus could surmise that Yang hadn't bothered taking off her prosthetic, which meant she was _definitely_ exhausted from her latest mission.

"Blake? Is everything alright?" She turned, seeing Weiss carrying the twins down the stairs effortlessly despite their size. The healthy six year-olds looked just as confused as their mother, Noire's ears cocking forward just in time to catch the soft snore coming from the living room at about the same time the woman continued, blue eyes falling on the doorway. More specifically, the muddy boots sitting just to the right of the door. "Ah, I see Yang's home."

"Momma's home?" Zise looked around, as if the blonde would materialize simply because her name was said.

"Momma's home!" Her sister cheered, having heard the proof herself.

Almost immediately, the twins began squirming, not enough for Weiss to lose her grip on either but getting their point across regardless. The moment she reached the landing, their mother set them down, allowing the two to rush over to the doorway, where Blake stopped them in their tracks.

"Momma's sleeping and she's _very_ tired. Don't wake her up just yet, okay?" Although it was hard, she managed to stand firm against the dual pleading looks. "I mean it; you can go in, but at least wait until breakfast is ready."

"Okay!" They responded before darting past her, suppressing their giggles as much as possible as they rushed over to stand beside the couch.

"I could've helped, you know," she said as Weiss came to stand beside her, adjusting her bolero. Yang's last message indicated she might not get in until early afternoon, so they'd decided to have everyone dressed and ready first thing in the morning to ensure they could meet the woman at the airport. Naturally, their wife had somehow managed to get home earlier, negating that, but they were still happy to have her home and in one piece. Plus, now they didn't have to worry about getting the girls dressed or the mischievous duo playing with their food at breakfast, seeing as they were both wearing their favorite outfits that they consciously tried to avoid getting dirty.

If only they had more outfits they held in such high regard.

"Nonsense; you're pregnant, Blake. You don't need the added stress, trust me." The woman waved off her comment easily. "Besides, Zise loves wearing her overalls and Noire absolutely adores that dress; they practically did all the work for me."

The Faunus rolled her eyes but let the subject drop, smoothing out her maternity shirt. Five months along and she was beginning to show, which, while exciting, also had her nervous. The doctor's appointment just around the corner should soothe her worries though- or at least, that's what she hoped. "I suppose we should-"

" _I_ will take care of breakfast." Weiss patted her shoulder gently, a smile on her lips. "Stay here and watch the kids; you know they'll fidget in place until they wake her up if you don't keep an eye on them."

"And then we'll _both_ catch the third degree for it, too." It felt so strange, being treated so delicately after years of fighting tooth and nail for every little bit of ground gained, but she full well knew it had nothing to do with her wives' confidence in her abilities. Now that they were mostly at peace, with the Grimm a resilient but minor threat being chased to extinction in the kingdoms' wilderness, there was time to relax, and she just happened to be the one enjoying it for the moment. She and Yang had already agreed that Weiss was next in line to be pampered, once the newest addition to their family was old enough to start on formula. Until then, she would just have to accept that her wives weren't inclined to let her do anything strenuous or stressful.

While Weiss went off to start on breakfast, Blake watched as the twins sat in front of the couch, just staring at the sleeping blonde. Neither had yet to truly understand the concept of patience, so it was only a manner of time before they tried to crawl onto the furniture and 'accidentally' wake Momma up, but the Faunus had a sneaking suspicion that Yang wouldn't mind in the slightest waking up to their daughters' poor attempt at being courteous. All three of them loved the twins but the blonde had taken to motherhood quicker than a duck to water, though she could be a bit… extreme in some regards. She effectively raised Ruby after the death of Summer, and a child as energetic and curious as their team leader had likely warranted such measures. It was Yang's strict policy that one of them be with the twins at all times and she'd taken the most convincing when it came time for them to begin sleeping in their own room. It wasn't paranoia, per se… but it veered along those lines sometimes.

As the faint smell of cooked eggs wafted from the kitchen, Blake inhaled deeply, utterly content with the morning thus far. She'd finally passed the morning sickness portion of her pregnancy, and her appetite now vastly exceeded her diet even during the height of her huntress training. Just _smelling_ the sure-to-be delicious food had her mouth watering.

"I think it's time to wake Momma up," she said, taking a few steps into the room. "Then, we can eat."

Suddenly, everything was in slow motion, or maybe it just felt that way because of how quickly she processed the information because her body simply couldn't keep up. The twins jumped up, excited to wake the sleeping woman, and they'd gone with their first inclination- shake her awake. Tiny little hands reached out, and that's when she saw the problem as it unfolded; Zise wasn't watching where she was about to touch, her gaze focused on Yang's face.

Before she could say a word, though, the blonde snapped awake.

* * *

Yang awoke on high alert, brought to that heightened awareness that came so easily to those with small children the instant she felt tiny little fingers brush between the skin of her forearm near the cool metal of Ember Celica. She immediately jerked her arm away, eyes opening so crimson red could scan the immediate area before landing on the two little ones standing by the couch, one looking markedly more guilty than the other.

"ZISE! WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT TOUCHING MOMMA'S BRACELETS?" She sat up, created distance, checked her wrist twice to ensure the weapon hadn't activated, all the while her heart thundered in her chest. A thousand possibilities flashed through her mind's eye, each one more terrible than the last.

"Yang, calm down-"

"S-sorry, Momma-"

"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR 'SORRY' ZISE!" Yang checked her other arm, ensuring that the lack of sensation in her right limb hadn't led to the gauntlet being activated without her being the wiser. Once satisfied Ember Celica was in the same condition as she'd fallen asleep- with no changes made without her knowledge- she turned her heated gaze on her daughters, both of whom looked chagrined. She could hear the blood pounding in her ears, the pure shot of adrenaline from sheer terror just barely beginning to subside. "I'VE TOLD BOTH OF YOU SEVERAL TIMES. _NEVER_ TOUCH MOMMA'S BRACELETS, EVER."

" _Yang_." Her gaze snapped to Blake, standing just on the other side of the coffee table and leveling an impressive glare her way. "Stop yelling at them."

"I'M NOT-" She growled, rubbing at her wrist absently with her artificial hand and switching tracks, her mind too fuzzy from the abrupt wake-up call to register how the Faunus had gotten downstairs or dressed so quickly. "You were supposed to be _watching_ them!"

That, as it turned out, was the very _wrong_ thing to say, amber eyes alighting as the Faunus prepared to launch into a tirade of her own.

" _What_ is going on in here?" Weiss came into the room at a jog, wearing an apron over her clothes and showing the barest hints of recent use, a splotch of _something_ shining wetly on her chest. One look around the room was all she needed to assess the situation, snapping off crisp orders before anyone could start explaining themselves. "Nevermind. Blake, take the twins into the den. Yang, in the kitchen, _now_."

"But-"

" _Now_ , Yang." She pointed for emphasis, blue eyes turning hard as diamonds. "I _won't_ repeat myself."

Clenching her jaw, Yang shot up, her muscles protesting the movement but she was too angry to care, marching past both of her wives. She stormed across the foyer, into the other hallway, and ducked into the first doorway on the left. She immediately turned around, crossing her arms over her chest and fully prepared for the impending argument.

She wasn't quite ready enough, however.

"Just _what_ do you think you're doing?" Weiss started the moment she rounded the corner, her voice low but edged with ice.

"We have a rule, one I thought _all of us_ agreed on," she replied, keeping her voice just barely below her normal speaking tone. "They _know_ better. If Zise had-"

"They were trying to _wake you up_ , Yang; they weren't trying to play with your gauntlets." Although shorter, the woman had always possessed the ability to seem larger, the straightening of her spine doing little for her physical height but intimidating all the same. It had been _years_ since the last time she'd actively employed the 'patented Schnee intimidation technique' on the blonde, yet here it was, plain as day. "They were excited and not paying attention. Can you really blame them? You've been gone three weeks-"

"Oh, so just because I haven't been here, the rules go out the window, huh?" She refused to back down, beginning to pace around her wife to throw off the sensation of being towered over. Yang was fully aware she had to tilt her chin down to look the woman in the eye but their arguments always put them on equal footing somehow, in a way she could never properly articulate. "It's for _their_ _safety_ , Weiss. You know what happens when Ember Celica is triggered. What if she'd gotten her hand caught in the gears when it opened or the back plate shot out too quick and she freaked out? She could've been hurt!"

"And _instead_ , she's crying her eyes out in the den thinking her Momma hates her!" Weiss snapped back, positively incensed and willing to match the blonde step for step.

Yang jerked back, furrowing her brows. "Don't blow this out of proportion, Weiss; I _just_ told her-"

"You didn't _tell_ her anything! Or Noire, for that matter!" The shorter woman took a step forward, jabbing a finger in her face. "All you've _ever_ told them is to not touch your 'bracelets', and they don't. But you've never told them _why_. They both have _no idea_ why you're overreacting like this. To them, Zise accidentally did something, and you _immediately_ yelled at her after being gone for _three weeks_. That's the _first_ thing you did after coming home. Noire's scared she did something too; they just don't _understand_ why you're so upset!" She drew back, a scowl on her features. "Do you have any idea what that feels like, Yang? Neither of them were paying any attention to what they were doing, they were just sitting there waiting for the opportunity to wake you up because _they missed you,_ and now they're convinced you're angry with them."

The blonde exhaled heavily through her nose, flexing her hands while trying to keep her anger in check. "I'm _trying_ to keep them safe."

"I understand that, but you're being overprotective and needlessly aggressive." The severe line of the woman's shoulders relaxed slightly, blue eyes softening. "You're exhausted and you've _always_ been a bit too strict with them- and I know you have their best interests at heart, but really, Yang? You really don't see anything wrong with how you handled the situation?"

"I-" She paused, taking a moment to actually think about the question. Weiss had a point. They'd rarely, if ever, raised their voices at the twins, either in anger or reprimand. A stern tone was usually all they needed to get their point across, and even then it was rarely warranted; they were well behaved and the most mischief they got into usually included Ruby visiting, helping them sneak sweets before supper or something of the like. Even the dreaded 'terrible twos' weren't _that_ bad, from what Weiss recounted. "I… could've handled it better."

Her wife nodded, crossing her arms over her chest. "I know most of that was the jet lag and the mission; you're still exhausted and you didn't mean to be so short with them. But they don't really understand that. None of us have returned from a mission this long, or this difficult." She took a step closer, reaching up to cup the blonde's jaw, lithe fingers gently working at the lingering tension. "You _know_ Zise wouldn't intentionally disobey us, or Noire. It was an _accident_."

"But what if she'd triggered it?" Raising her left hand, Yang looked at the slightly tarnished metal, the newest coat of paint already showing signs of wear. Years of fighting had turned the metal underneath to a black mess of carbon that she'd never be able to get completely clean and the heat from long, sustained firing during battles long past had nearly made both of her weapons inoperable, warping the metal to conform to her forearms even more. She'd probably need to upgrade to something new soon, or rebuild the model; her fighting style had altered slightly over the years and Ember Celica did the job, but she could do more. Not that she had an abundance of opportunities to look forward to, though. "You know it doesn't take much- a flare of aura, a flick of my wrist."

"Neither of them have unlocked their aura yet and the mechanism relies on _your_ movement anyway; we both know no one can operate Ember Celica if you're unconscious or you'd _never_ have fallen asleep with them on in the first place," Weiss said, shaking her head with a small smile. "You'd sooner walk around in full plate armor than risk them activating while you're taking a nap. And they're both unloaded, correct?"

"Yeah…" Her muscles relaxed somewhat, the anger bleeding away as her head cleared. Without the fog of waking up in a panic, she could at least acknowledge that the chance of anything happening was minuscule at best. That was part of her argument for keeping her weapons on her person at all times; unlike Myrtenaster and Gambol Shroud, Ember Celica posed virtually no threat when unloaded, possessing no sharp edges. Her wives' blades were locked up in a bulletproof glass case in the foyer, on display but still within reach and fully loaded for those possessing the access code- and one of the triad's fingerprints. Blush and Wilt sat in Blake's reading nook under lock and key, and Blitzkreig in Weiss' study if they needed means of self defense and couldn't get to the foyer, plus a few cheap, run-of-the-mill weapons Ruby had confiscated from cache raids while chasing the last remnants of militant groups across Remnant. Yang kept Ember Celica, though, seeing as they could be discreetly hidden from the naked eye and would provide her a way to defend herself and the twins if anything were to happen… which, considering the veritable fortress they'd built for a home and the eradication of the White Fang and the SDC's unsavory business practices, their enemies numbered less than ten, if that. "Maybe I am a bit… overprotective at times."

"Try 'all the time'." Her fingers slid to the back of the blonde's neck, tracing along her hairline. "If they understood why you don't want them touching Ember Celica, it might help them understand why you reacted so badly. But being hard on them without explanation or due cause won't help them understand; they'll just jump to conclusions the same way you jump to the worst case scenario. You need to talk to them, Yang, and especially Zise."

"She doesn't really believe I _hate_ her… does she?" Yang frowned, brought down from her rage entirely by the soothing fingers on her neck and her wife's voice. Even if it was the worst way to wake up, it was finally sinking in that she should've at least greeted her family before reprimanding the twins; three long weeks trekking through wilderness had brought with it the bittersweet longing for home that wouldn't go away for a few more days. She didn't want to spend them with one of their daughters cowering from her.

A cloud passed over the woman's face, prompting her to retract her hand. "I can't say if she truly believes it… but she remembers how my father acted around her and Noire, and there were certainly enough times growing up that I believed he hated _me_." Weiss turned, heading back towards the stove, which had a frying pan filled with half cooked scrambled eggs sitting atop a cold burner. "Go talk to them and apologize to Blake."

She winced, scratching at the back of her head. "I… did kinda snap at her too, huh?"

"Yes, you did, and _you_ are digging yourself out of that one." With a practiced flick of her wrist, she turned on one of the other burners and moved the pan over. "Smoothing things over with the twins is one thing, but you definitely earned the doghouse this time." She paused, just before grabbing the abandoned spatula on the counter. "Or would it be the scratching post?"

"Princess, babe, I love you, but you _still_ need to work on your sense of humor," Yang said, chuckling at the terrible attempt at a pun that somehow brought a smile to her lips anyway.

"And _you_ need to work on not spending another night on the couch- this time, involuntarily. Mommy Blake is _not_ happy you were yelling at the twins and while _I'm_ not too crazy about it myself, I wasn't there to witness it. You still need to talk to her before it's all said and done."

What little mirth she had fled at that reminder, heading out of the kitchen and back across the foyer, opting to skip the lecture while she could and putting her boots up as she passed. It was little more than a stall tactic, true, but it did make her feel a little better knowing that she wasn't _trying_ to earn her wives' ire. However, she couldn't avoid the reckoning forever, and found herself standing just outside the den before she could really process how she'd gotten there. She still felt exhausted from the trip and the long weeks away, but all that fell away as she heard a tiny voice thick with tears speak.

"I didn't mean it, Mommy." A hiccuping sob. "I didn't. I'm sorry."

"Hush, little one, Momma knows that and so do I." Blake soothed, her voice soft and it nearly broke Yang's heart. "You'll see. Mommy _promises_ you; Momma's not mad."

"B-but-"

"Zise," she said, stepping into the den and seeing the twins curled beside Blake, one on each side. Noire was quiet, more so than usual, with her ears pinned back against her skull and silent tears slipping down her cheeks. Her twin was louder, crying softly as she pressed into the Faunus' right side, face screwing up more as the blonde entered the room and a fresh round of sobs spilled forth. Yang's brow knit together, heart clenching painfully even as Blake shot a glare her way. "Come here, Zise. I'm not mad. You too, Noire."

There was a single moment of hesitation that tore at her, where it looked like neither of her daughters might leave their Mommy's side, but both carefully clambered off the den's couch and ran over to her. Yang knelt down, just in time to catch the twins, one in each arm, as they buried themselves into her shoulders. She held them tight, tears stinging at her eyes; it felt so good to hold them both again, and she swore they were bigger now than before she left.

"I'm s-" Zise started but she quickly cut the little one off, her tone soft.

"No, _I'm_ sorry. Momma shouldn't have yelled," she said, turning her head to plant a kiss against each of the little heads pressed against her. "Momma was tired but that's no excuse. I'm sorry, Zise." The little girl continued crying, though her sobs had died down some. "Hey. Look at me." She waited for purple tinged blue to look up at her- unlike the blonde, her daughter's eyes changed with every powerful emotion, not just anger- before she repeated herself. "I'm sorry."

"'s'okay." She scrubbed at her face, eyes returning to their normal baby blue. "I'm sorry I touched your bracelet."

Yang sighed, weighing her options. Unfortunately, it really only left her one path to take, because she could still hear the warble in her daughter's voice. She _had_ to make sure both of them understood what got her so upset. "We're gonna go to the practice room now, okay? Just for a little bit, and then we'll sit down for breakfast." The blonde looked up, seeing surprise evident in Blake's expression. "There's something I need to show you, first."

Slowly, the Faunus nodded; between the three of them, it was Yang who vehemently argued against the twins starting any sort of combat training. They'd lost so much during the years fighting against Salem that just the thought of the twins following in their mothers' footsteps made her panic a little, and the Grimm threat was so reduced now that it might be completely eradicated by the time they were old enough to attend a combat school. Surely her little ones could take a nice, safe desk job at the SDC or something, right?

Weiss and Blake doubted it. They'd told her several times that a lack of Grimm didn't always mean a lesser need for Huntresses and Atlas still had a standing army to consider. Plus, if they were anything like their mothers, they'd get the itch for adventure, especially if Ruby kept bringing over those storybooks Yang used to read her when she was their age.

Yang looked down, seeing the confusion and surprise in her daughters' eyes, the twins exchanging a glance before nodding. Noire still hadn't said anything, not even a mumbled 'okay' like her sister, which had the blonde a bit worried, but she hoped it would all make sense soon.

She stood up and turned to head back out into the hall, bending down a little to take a small hand in each of hers. With a deep breath to steady her nerves, she led the twins down the hall, back across the foyer and down another hall to the practice room. There, she had to release Zise's hand to activate the keypad, the door sliding open a moment later. When it closed behind the three, she led them to a little area off to the side that acted as a sort of observation deck, elevated just slightly and surrounded by bullet proof glass, with a bench for sitting. They'd originally installed it so one of them could watch the other's technique, ensure they weren't getting sloppy now that they didn't have Beacon's full facilities or a seemingly endless supply of people after their necks, but it would work well for what she had in mind now.

"I need both of you to stay in here, okay? Watch me, but don't leave this box."

"Okay, Momma," Zise replied, her twin offering a slightly subdued response, but at least she said something. It seemed curiosity was winning out over concern they might be in trouble.

"Good. Just watch me. That's all I want you two to do." Tension brought her shoulders together as she turned around and went back out, towards a little staging area outside of the 'hot zone', as they'd taken to calling it. The room itself was reinforced and designed to withstand their standard attacks and the projectors could only create hard light opponents, so it wasn't the same amount of utility as the ones back at Beacon, but it suited its purpose just fine. With only a small tremble in her fingers, Yang input the code to access the ammunition box, pulling two fresh belts out and laying them on a nearby table for the moment.

It felt strange, to some extent. _She_ was the one who didn't want them training, _she_ was the one who absolutely forbade anyone from carrying loaded weapons in the house, and _she_ was the one who would glare at anyone who didn't immediately store their weapon when they came to visit, aside from the exceptions of close family. Even then, she would watch them, because- unlike everyone except her own father- she remembered all too vividly when Ruby got to the age of playing with whatever happened to be lying around. They didn't have any weapons in the house at that point- she never learned what her father did with his, and he was often too morose to mention anything that could lead on a tangent back to Summer- but that didn't stop her little sister from getting into a whole _world_ of trouble.

"Alright." She wasn't sure if that was for her benefit or the twins' but, when she turned around, both sets of blue eyes were upon her. "I'm going to show you why I don't want you touching my bracelets." She held out both her arms. "I don't say it because I want to be upset with you… I say it because it can be dangerous." With quick motions of her wrist, Ember Celica began to expand, the mechanisms clicking and whirring while the twins jerked back in surprise. "You know Mother and Mommy have their weapons, right?" Although a little delayed in responding, the duo nodded their heads. "Good. These are _my_ weapon. They're called Ember Celica." She walked closer and knelt down, allowing both of her daughters to marvel over the shotgun gauntlets. "This is part of why I didn't want you two touching them. It doesn't take much to activate, and they could hurt you."

Zise and Noire looked up at her then, surprise showing clear in their expressions, and Yang mentally acknowledged that she'd have to bite the bullet and admit Weiss was right. They likely had thought they weren't supposed to touch the bracelets simply because she told them not to, completely bereft of the context to what an unintentional activation could cause.

"You can touch them, if you want." She bit her lip lightly, curling her hands into fists so they wouldn't see the way she trembled. "Only now, though."

The twins looked at each other, exchanging one of those silent conversations that none of them could begin to decipher before reaching a decision. Carefully, they laid their tiny little hands on the cool metal. They traced along the different pieces as lilac eyes watched, trying to look everywhere at once as the irrational fear mounted. She hadn't put the ammunition in and it took kinetic force to trigger the pump action, but knowing that and _not thinking it could happen anyway_ appeared to be two different things.

"That's why we can't touch them?" Noire lifted her gaze, but retracted her hand at the same time. "Because they move?"

"It's part of the reason," she replied, gently pulling her arms back and out of Zise's reach. "Go back behind the glass. I'm going to show you the other reason, okay?"

With a few nods, the twins retreated back to their previous spots while the blonde went back to retrieve the ammunition belts. She made sure to keep an eye on the little ones, that they were well behind the glass before opening the bolt covered and fitting the belts through. Normally, she wouldn't be as careful or as nervous, but neither would Zise and Noire be present. Keeping that in mind, she made sure the barrel of her weapons always towards the blackened back wall, scored by fire and chipped by ice and bullets from use. They would probably need to replace that top coating on the door before it got too weak; the last thing they wanted was to create a ricochet prone backdrop and pouring tonnes of dirt to create a mound inside wasn't entirely practical. Ruby would be able to fix the problem easily, though, and she made a mental note to ask about that, later.

With both belts in place, she closed the bold covers and took a deep breath. "Polly, begin simulation."

"Simulation active." Perhaps it was a bittersweet form of torture but, when Ruby had partnered with SDC scientists to create a suitable program to run their practice room, she's used the copy of Penny's audio files General Ironwood had given her years prior. She didn't have a physical body- at least, not yet- and this version didn't posses the ability of sentience like the real Penny did but it reminded them all of the odd little ginger they'd met back before everything went to shit. Memories of those 'good ol' days' flashed through her mind, as they did every time she came to blow off some steam or just brush up on her skills, bringing both the melancholy of lost friends and appreciation for what they still had, even after fighting to the edge of oblivion and back. "Welcome back, Yang. Please select your regimen."

"One beowolf, stationary target," she said, looking over at the twins. "Remember, you're safe right where you are. It's okay."

Noire and Zise looked confused for a brief moment before the holograms hummed to life, constructing a life sized beowolf in the center of the hot zone. Hard light shaped the planes of its bone plates much better than the texture of fur, but when the light fell away and it turned darker, more closely resembling the actual creature, she heard two gasps from her left. Now they recognized the creature, having seen them occasionally in those damned books Ruby brought. She honestly had hoped they'd never become familiar with the creatures of Grimm at all.

"Simulation begin."

"This is the other reason." She waited until the twins looked at her, ensuring they saw what was about to happen, before raising her left arm. Then, she flared her aura, activating the trigger and sending a single round flying into the hard light construct. It immediately shattered into pieces- the years of fighting had allowed her to upgrade to a bigger caliber, and Ruby's innovations with Dust from the SDC certainly hadn't hurt- in tandem with the sound of the blast echoing off the walls, causing Noire and Zise to jump closer together. With smoke still rising from the barrel, Yang lowered her arm.

"Simulation end."

"Polly, begin simulation." The blonde raised her right arm. The prosthetic had undergone a few… revisions since that fateful day. Between Ruby, Ironwood, and a few others, the simple replacement had been transformed into a weapon all its own, strong enough to deflect all but the red Dust blades that could cut through anything and with a built in, Dust infused power core than transformed Ember Celica's rounds from a simple projectile to a highly modded blast of destruction whenever she fired. "Five beowolves, 'I' formation, stationary targets."

The holograms sprung to life once more, hard light forming into five more beowolves standing in front of her.

"Simulation begin."

Unlike with her left, firing with her right arm took a few seconds to charge. The dull hum was just white noise to her now, like the sound of her own breathing, something she could consciously acknowledge but usually filtered out completely. The sharp crack of the round firing, however, resounded ten times louder than the previous shot, blowing all five of her conjured opponents into fragments that dispersed in the blink of an eye. The startled cry her daughters gave, however, nearly broke her focus, a glance confirming the two had started clinging to each other with wide eyes as the hard light projections disappeared, leaving only a faint trail of smoke from her arm and a fresh scorch mark on the wall.

"Simulation end."

Lowering her artificial limb slowly, Yang waited until the faint whir of the mechanics died down before popping open the bolt covers again, removing the nearly full belts and replacing them in the ammo container. When she turned around, she waited for the little ones to calm down before speaking.

"Do you understand now?" Her expression lost some of its severity as she took a few steps forward, holding up both of her forearms. "Momma's bracelets aren't just jewelry; Ember Celica is just as dangerous as Mytenaster and Gambol Shroud. Not all the time, but they can be." With a flick of her wrists, the weapon began collapsing again until they were nothing but bracelets once more. " _That's_ why I don't want either of you touching them. You could get _hurt_ , and I would _never_ forgive myself if that happened."

She walked back over until she was in the safe zone, somewhat relieved when neither of her daughters drew back from fear. Instead, they seemed a bit… confused.

"But, Momma…" Noire bit her lip, ears twitching slightly. "Can they do that without the box things?"

"Do what?" Both twins looked to the side, at the scorch mark that just now had stopped smoking. "Oh, the bullets. Well, no. They can only do that if they're loaded. Uh- if they have the things in box."

"Then… they won't go 'boom', right?" Zise's eyes flew open, hiding her hands behind her back. "We won't touch 'em! Just… they can't do that, right?"

"You always put the box things back." Her twin noted, also tucking her hands away from view. "We can't hug you until you put the box things back when you come home. You _always_ put the box things back."

Yang sighed, kneeling down to look at her daughters. "Yes, I always put the box things back, and yes, they won't go 'boom' without the box things. But… what you have to understand is that… Momma's afraid." Her brows drew together as she tried to formulate an explanation they would understand. She didn't want to worry or scare them but she needed to be _certain_ they understood. "Before you were born, Your Mother, Your Mommy, and I all went to school, so we could learn how to fight creatures like the fake ones in here." She looked back to where the hard light beowolves stood. "Back then, they were everywhere, and we had to fight every day to keep them from hurting people. Then things got worse." Her gaze then fell to her artificial limb. "A _lot_ worse. Momma… lost some friends. We all did. We lost a lot during that time. And I almost lost your Mother, your Mommy… and you two." Taking a shuddering breath as tears stung at her eyes, Yang reached out to her daughters, pulling them into a tight hug. "That was the most scared I'd ever been, and I _swore_ I would do whatever it takes to keep you safe. You two, Mother, Mommy- _everyone_ , because I'd already lost so much and I was scared of losing even more. I… I can't lose my babies, too." A sob burst from her chest as she squeezed her eyes tight, trying to stymie the tears. "So even if it doesn't make sense, Momma's gonna worry. Momma's gonna be scared. Because I love you two _so much_ and I don't _ever_ want anything bad to happen to you."

Tiny hands fisted her jacket, the twins burying their heads in her shoulders and making soft, calming noises. She didn't mean to cry- she tried to never cry in front of them, because she remembered watching her Dad's agony and Qrow's drunken pain and it always hurt knowing she couldn't make things better- but the tears came anyway.

"I love you both so much."

"We love you too, Momma," Noire said, her own voice thick with tears.

"Uh huh!" Zise chimed in as well and it didn't take visual proof for her to suspect that the little girl was crying already. "I'm sorry-"

"I'm sorry, too." It took a few shuddering breaths for her to regain composure but she somehow managed it, drawing back from her daughters to wipe at her eyes. "This morning was an accident and I was wrong to yell at you two." She sniffled. "So… what did we learn?"

"Don't touch Momma's bracelets, 'cause they could hurt us," Noire said.

Zise continued. "And be more careful when we wake Momma up."

The corner of her lips pulled up in a small grin. "And _Momma_ learned not to yell over nothing. It was just an accident." She stood up, turning towards the door. "Now, come on. Mother's making breakfast and I'm sure it'll be delicious."

When she didn't hear the patter of little feet following after her, the blonde turned around with a raised brow, left to wonder for a few moments more as the twins had another of their conversations. Blake and Weiss insisted it was common for twins to be able to read each other's microexpressions and the like much easier than other people could, making verbal conversation unnecessary, while Yang asserted they were essentially telepathic in contrast. Either way, the two came to a conclusion and, in very soft voices while holding their arms up, posed their query.

"Will you carry us?"

Normally, she wouldn't. Weiss would coddle them- that's what the blonde called it, anyway, but it was certainly something the triad would never see eye-to-eye on- and lavish the twins with all the physical contact and loving affirmations she never received as a child. She, on the other hand, advocated for doing so sparingly, encouraging them to carry themselves and gain as much experience and reliance on themselves now, while the triad was there to watch over them, because she knew kids never stayed kids long enough, not in their world. Blake struck a middle ground, saving some gestures for when they'd done something well or when they asked for it but mainly leaving them to their own devices. Yang was never cruel or neglectful but the twins knew that, if it wasn't play time, she wasn't going to pick them up.

But after the excitement from the morning, and being gone for three weeks, and missing her daughters more than anything, she could let some things slide.

"C'mere." She knelt down, arms open wide, and wasn't the least bit surprised when the twins shot forward without further prompting, already trying to find themselves solid holds on her jacket. That's when she got an idea, her grin widening a bit. "Hey, you two wanna be top of the world?"

The twins looked at each other for a moment before nodding.

Carefully, she lifted them up until they were sitting on her shoulders. She used to do it with Ruby, when her sister was small enough, and she did it with Weiss and Blake on occasion, but those times were distant memories now and it worried her, even though she had her hands curled around their legs to keep them in place.

"Hold onto Momma's jacket, okay?" She turned back towards the door. "… and don't grab Momma's hair."

Both of them giggled, because the one time Qrow had done it as a joke she'd managed to maintain her tenuous grip on her fury until well after the twins were out of earshot, though she did turn an impressive shade of purple from the force of holding her rage in, according to Ruby. Regardless, much like her gauntlets, the twins were told expressly to _not_ play with the blonde's hair. They just didn't know what would happen if they did, yet. That would be a lesson for another day.

But, she wasn't going far and everything would be okay, even if her heart was going a mile a minute as she walked, being very careful as she reached for the keypad.

"Hold on tight, Noire," she said, as much as a warning as to soothe her nerves, only feeling somewhat relieved when the door opened and she could secure the little Faunus once more. "Watch your heads." They weren't quite tall enough to reach the top of the doorway, and she knew that, but the words left her mouth regardless. "Alright, breakfast time."

Yang started off taking small, steady steps, paying special attention to their weight on her shoulders with every move. When she heard Zise's inhale and felt the twitch from Noire that seemed to halt any words from leaving her sister's mouth before they'd formed, she chastised herself for being so cautious.

Jumping out of an airship over a Grimm infested wilderness? No problem. Just the slightest chance some harm could come to her children? A complete basket case. Her younger self would laugh and call her a worry wart, but those were better times.

She'd grown so serious since then.

Lengthening her stride, Yang turned to bring them into the kitchen, where Weiss was setting the dirty cooking instruments in the dish washer. Blake was just finishing setting everything on the table in the adjacent dining room, the smell of fresh cooked eggs, bacon, sausage, and traditional Atlesian bread hanging heavy in the air.

"Just in time!" The woman's smile was genuine when she turned around, though it fell a moment later, turning into a blank, flat look. "Really?"

While the twins seemed curious as to their Mother's consternation, the blonde merely smiled. "Everything good, short stuff?"

"Unbelievable; I'm finally _not_ the shortest, and you take it from me so soon? How rude; I thought I'd have another six years, at least." She huffed, marching over and looking up at their daughters. "How's the weather up there? Having fun?"

The twins shifted slightly, as if looking at each other, before responding.

"It was hot…" Zise started, allowing Noire to continue.

"… but it cooled off."

Yang's face screwed up. "Wait a minute- did they just make a joke about my temper?" Judging by the stifled laughter from above them and the twinkle in Weiss' blue eyes, they'd done just that. "Hey!"

"It's about time you've met your match," Blake said, entering the kitchen with a smile. "But before Mass Pun War Seventy Six kicks off, let's eat."

"Agreed. We've already had enough excitement on empty stomachs." Reaching up, the shorter woman carefully accepted the precious cargo from Yang's shoulders, turning to carry the twins into the dining room while the Faunus remained behind.

"Blake… I'm sorry for-"

"I know." She sighed, shaking her head. "I'm not saying I forgive you, not yet, but I probably would've snapped too if I'd had the same three weeks you did. You were cranky and scared but… Yang, you _have_ to let go of the past." Her hands reached out, cupping the blonde's face. "We have two beautiful daughters and a third child on the way. Now's not the time to let those old demons back into your heart."

Yang wrapped her arms around the Faunus' waist, pulling her close and bending down just enough for a kiss. She could feel Blake's baby bump pressing against her own belly, bringing a smile to her lips despite the morbid topic after the kiss ended. "I'm trying."

" _Now_ you are." Blake chuckled, gently breaking the embrace and heading towards the dining room. "I think it'll take baby steps but, in time, I think we'll be alright. We can talk more about it tonight."

"Tonight?" She raised a brow, hoping it meant she wouldn't be exiled to the couch. Although such instances were rare now… well, their first year living together had brought with it a few more adjustments than any of them had anticipated.

At the doorway leading into the dining room, the Faunus paused. "I'll let Weiss explain."

Before she could inquire further, Blake went to the table while their wife quickly returned to the kitchen while the faint sounds of silverware clinking indicated the twins were sitting at the table and awaiting their parents' arrival. Yang thought about asking- or at least being the one to initiate the conversation- but quickly found herself pinned in place by a sharp look as the shorter woman approached.

"Listen closely, Yang, because I'm saying this once and _only_ once." Weiss got close, poking her in the chest with a single finger. "Despite your efforts to completely derail mine, I've spent the last _two weeks_ getting Blake comfortable and 'in the mood' and, even considering this morning's events, she's still… open to the idea." She narrowed her eyes. "Now, we're going to have a talk about this whole fiasco tonight and you're going to be on your _best behavior_ , because _after_ that, we might have a chance for a little fun." Before the blonde could open her mouth fully, she was shushed by a finger against her lips. "Between the two of us, who's been pregnant? That's right, me, and even if she's a tad hesitant about it, I _absolutely_ believe a little… stress relief will be beneficial for her, and us as well. So, if you fuck this up, I'm going to spend the next _month_ giving you so many chores you won't _want_ to move at the end of the day, am I clear?"

Yang weighed her answer for all of two seconds. "Yep. Crystal."

"Excellent." The shorter woman sighed, the severity in her face and voice gone as a small smile claimed her lips. "It's good to have you home, Love. Now, let's go eat."

The blonde followed her wife into the dining room, where their children and other wife were already seated, with the twins staring at each other very intently. Given the slight furrow in the older Faunus' expression, this must've been going on for some time, and at first she worried that they might've overheard the conversation in the kitchen. However, once Yang and Weiss had sat down, they looked towards their plates as if nothing was the matter. Without much further ado, they started eating, passing plates around while Weiss and Yang took turns making sure the twins had enough of whatever they wanted to eat. Normally, the blonde would be a bit more concerned about the portions, but now that she'd completely calmed down, it was a struggle in itself to not scarf her own food down, nevermind chiding the kids on eating more eggs and less bacon.

Blake finally broke the silence. "So, how was your mission?"

"Good. Long, tiring, and we probably could've used an extra few hands or so, but we cleared out the nest with no casualties." She sighed, a small smile on her lips. "At the rate we're going, it might be just another generation or two before the Grimm are gone for good."

The patter of plastic being set down drew her gaze towards the twins, both of whom were staring intently at their plates.

"Zise? Noire?" Weiss' brows furrowed. "Is there something wrong?"

Slowly, the little Faunus looked up, blue eyes darting to all three of them before she replied. "Can we learn to fight?"

Yang set her own fork down, completely forgetting about the big of egg and sausage she was just about to eat. "What?"

Her tone was probably a bit more severe than entirely necessary, and the tension mounting in her shoulders probably didn't help, but Noire didn't back down and Zise came to her sister's aid rather than hide away.

"You said you all learned to fight the monsters. We want to learn, too."

"And why do you want to learn to fight?" Blake took a sip of her orange juice, no inflection in her tone.

"To defend ourselves," they said.

"Well, I don't believe that for a second." Weiss scooped more eggs onto her plate. "There's more to it, and if you two want an answer, you'll have to tell us."

Again, the twins exchanged a look. "So Momma doesn't have to be scared anymore."

Yang blinked.

"How will learning how to fight keep Momma from being scared?" Blake raised a brow, just as skeptical.

"If we know how to fight, we can protect ourselves," Zise replied.

"And, we can keep the monsters from coming back."

"And we'll know how to be careful with weapons."

Slowly, the blonde raised a hand to her face and sighed, rubbing at her forehead. This was _exactly_ why she didn't want to show the twins how her gauntlets worked in the first place. Banking on them _not_ somehow inheriting their Aunt's curiosity when it came to weapons- regardless of how genetically impossible the notion seemed- was just asking for too much, and she'd known that all along.

Yet… she had the same feelings when Ruby got that look in her eyes the first time, but she didn't have all the negative experiences to intensify them. Instead, she had nothing but admiration for Huntresses, and she'd supported her sister's enrollment in the combat schools. She still remembered how proud she was when Ruby, a full two years younger than most, was expressly invited to Beacon by the Headmaster himself.

Lilac eyes lifted to look at her wives, both of whom had their minds already made up, and sighed before looking at the twins.

She'd definitely lost this battle before it had even begun.

"Here are the rules. You can't start until after the baby's born; fighting to protect yourselves is one thing, but you need to have someone to protect, too. The innocent, the helpless, the weak- that's what Huntresses do. So once your sibling's born, it'll be your responsibility to keep them safe, and we'll teach you how to do that. To start, anyway." She pressed her lips into a thin line. "But we'll take _no_ excuses. If you want to quit at any time, that's fine, but neither of you will rely on Auntie Ruby's position as Headmistress of Beacon to gain acceptance to any of the combat schools. You'll do the work, you'll attend every lesson, and you'll gain every inch of progress through your own merits, individually. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Momma."

"You'll only have one instructor at a time," Blake said, sitting back in her chair. "Momma will be first. Once she deems you're ready, I'll train you. And when I say you can advance, you'll learn from your Mother. We use three very different styles and techniques, so whichever seems to fit you best, you will pursue on your own with us as your sparing partners. But we can't go easy on you."

"Yes, Mommy."

"This isn't just lip service, sweethearts; take this very seriously." Weiss turned towards them, crossing her arms over her chest. "The moment your training begins, we're not your parents. We're your teachers and we're covering subjects that could very well save your life or the lives of others. We will always love you, whether or not you choose to pursue this, but we will be hard on you during training. We will be strict and we will be exacting." She reached out, waiting for the little ones to put a hand in each of hers before she continued. "We will push you, but we will _never_ put you in harm's way. We don't want you to get hurt but, in that same vein, we can't allow you to get lazy or sloppy, either. We'll hold you to a much higher standard that any of your potential classmates, and we do it because we care. Do you understand that?"

"Yes, Mother."

"Okay," Yang said, taking a slightly unsteady breath. They still had at least five months before the baby was born, so that gave her some time to truly accept the idea, but it was honestly a fool's hope that their children wouldn't follow in their footsteps somehow. "Then… that's settled. Finish your breakfast."

As the twins returned to their meals with renewed gusto, Blake reached over and lightly squeezed her hand, drawing her attention to her wives. Both of them were smiling, encouraging her that they'd made the right choice. Frankly, she didn't think so, not really, but she couldn't help but admit that there were worse things than their eldest daughters becoming Huntresses…

… still, she _really_ hoped the next one would become an accountant.


End file.
